Report: During the MLB trade deadline, the Cubs attempted and failed to save the Angels from themselves.

The Chicago Cubs were interested in Los Angeles Angels’ rising sensation Logan O’Hoppe.

After the MLB trade deadline passed over two weeks ago, an increasing amount of information regarding all the possible trades is becoming public. The Los Angeles Angels are well known, but the Chicago Cubs were caught between being a buyer and a seller. Although the Halos have long been perceived as sellers, they have seldom ever been eager to close a sale.

The Cubs’ attempt to acquire Angels backstop Logan O’Hoppe was one such trade that was reportedly under consideration. With a.260 batting average and a.755 OPS this season, the 24-year-old has hit 16 home runs and batted 46 runs. The Cubs were “repeatedly and firmly rebuffed” in their several attempts to trade for the star catcher for the Angels, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

I was interested in this trade rumor for several reasons. One, despite the team’s current downturn, the Angels remain adept in identifying, selecting, and nurturing talent. Two, Chicago was not a clear buyer at the deadline, so I can’t claim that I regarded these two teams as possible trade partners. Furthermore, three seasons remain in O’Hoppe’s MLB career, making it premature for LA to deal him.

Simply put, this proves that you can never be too sure about what transpires behind closed doors between teams.

Let’s talk about whether the Angels made the right decision in keeping their new star behind the plate.

The Chicago Cubs attempted to acquire Logan O’Hoppe but were unsuccessful.
Why in the world would the Angels want to give up on their young catcher, who is only in his third year in the major leagues and is also in his first full season with the team? With his albatross of a seven-year contract, he is making about the same amount of money in a season that Anthony Rendon does in a single game for the Halos. In fact, O’Hoppe won’t even be eligible for arbitration until the 2026 MLB season.

This just heightens the player’s own curiosity. It is encouraging to see the Halos have an exciting rising talent in place of one of their favorite teams, which loves to pay an outrageous price for washed-up superstars after three decades. It just goes to demonstrate that his tremendous brilliance is being admired by clubs other than just the Cubs. Once more, the Angels should not have sold off their asset before O’Hoppe reaches adulthood on July 30.

I have no idea what the upcoming months and years hold for the Angels. Rendon still has to be played by someone. Mike Trout’s finest days are most likely behind us. We have to ask ourselves if this consistently underperforming team has any halfway decent to good players to sell it around, especially with Shohei Ohtani currently playing for the Dodgers across town. Perhaps O’Hoppe is their man!

Los Angeles was not interested in trading for O’Hoppe, despite Chicago’s relentless efforts.